North Korea inaugurates 5 hotels near country's highest mountain

North Korea has opened five newly constructed hotels in Samjiyon, a northern city located near the country's tallest mountain, Mount Paektu, as the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, emphasized his "unshakable will" to turn the region into an appealing mountainous tourist destination.

North Korea held ceremonies over the weekend to officially open the modern hotels at the Samjiyon Tourist Resort, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday.

During a tour of key facilities at the Ikkal and Milyong hotels on Saturday, Kim expressed his satisfaction that "all elements are at a high level" regarding practicality, variety and artistic features, according to KCNA.

His daughter, Ju-ae, was seen accompanying him on the hotel tour, with the leader holding her hand as shown in photos released by state media.

"He expressed his unshakable will to turn Samjiyon City better into an innovative and highly civilized city representing the tourism culture of the country," KCNA said.

Kim also highlighted the importance of service quality for tourism development and called for efforts to improve the professional qualifications of hotel staff.

In July, North Korea opened the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area in its eastern region.